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Physician-Assisted Suicide?

The Image of God: Why Life is Worth Defending Against Physician-Assisted Suicide

Providence University College assistant professor of philosophy, Dr. Hendrik van der Breggen, has written "The Image of God: Why Life is Worth Defending Against Physician-Assisted Suicide," an article recently published in Focus magazine (a publication of the Christian Medical and Dental Society of Canada).

In response to recent efforts by the B.C. Civil Liberties Association to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Canada, Hendrik sets out arguments to defend three major theses: (1) that human dignity is a non-negotiable, essential part of human nature, i.e., a built-in reflection of God; (2) that Christian Scripture condemns suicide and, by implication, physician-assisted suicide, though, significantly, Scripture also tells us to provide physical, emotional, and psychological care for those who suffer; and (3) that there is substantial secular doubt that can be cast onto the wisdom of legalizing physician-assisted suicide—enough doubt to encourage our secular society to respect true human dignity by rejecting physician-assisted suicide.